Lion down
by EverPayne
Summary: Based on FF 8, introducing a new character and making Seifer its main character.
1. No one knows

**Lion down**

Chapter 1 – No one knows

It was time for her to take the final exam at Balamb Garden. As always, the weather was perfect for taking care of Ifrit in the Fire Cavern. The birds were outside annoying her to deafness, while the sun was burning her face. It was one of the most warmest days in Balamb. Just perfect for having her butt kicked by her future third GF, as every day here in the Garden. Zell Dintch was her instructor. It was quite a happy young lad. Nea was, actually, quite angry for having an instructor of her age, and a couple of months younger as an addition to that. She couldn't possibly comprehend how someone so confusing could have become a SeeD in the first place.

"Erm, Nea?" She heard Zell's voice call her from behind, but she didn't turn around. Just the sound of his voice made her ears itch, not to mention what was happening every time he was standing face to face with her.

She hastened her pace, listening to Zell's footsteps getting faster with each breath that she took.

"Nea!" At last, with a simple pat on the shoulder and a mild drag, Zell stopped her with a smile, "Didn't you hear me? I was calling you." He said. She made absolutely no expression on her rose-tinted face, whose color was the outcome of the burning sunrays. She ran her fingertips across her long blond fringes and placed her hands on her thin waist. She said nothing to Zell's question. Instead, to prove her indifference about that issue, she lifted her eye brow and blinked quickly twice. By now, Zell had gotten to know her "mimic answers" as he called it and was very aware of her disliking him — and everyone else in the world.

"Squall ordered all candidates to go to the Fire Cavern today. He is expecting the results of the exam by the end of the day." Zell said. He was one of the many old Balamb Garden inhabitants that called the leader Leonheart by his first name. Also, headmistress Quistis was one of those people, but she called everyone by their first names — even those that she had just met. Nobody was angry at her about that, though. Most of the people that that was cute. _"Cute… Bahh!"_ Nea thought to herself, whilst Zell kept blabbering about junctions and Ifrit's weak points along the way. She wasn't paying much attention, as usual. She couldn't find the theoretical parts more boring than she all ready did.

"Do you understand what I told you?" Zell asked her, concluding their short conversation.

"Whatever." She replied and continued walking alongside with him toward the outside. Zell, suddenly, chuckled and stopped for a moment, trying to restrain the laughter.

""_Whatever…"_ You sound like Squall when I first met him." He explained his rude behavior, on which Nea rolled over with her eyes and turned toward the outside again, "You know you are quite similar to him, I must admit." Zell started a new conversation, which hinted to become long. She wished she could just push a button and turn him off, especially when he would start talking about his adventures with Squall that happened a year ago, "But, eventually, he came to his senses, realizing no one can make it on his own."

"Is this a part of my class?" Suddenly, she interrupted him with a quiet voice that was masked with fake calmness, behind which the burning rage was heating her patience.

"Well, erm… No, but—"

"—Then spare me." She interrupted him yet again and left the entrance. Zell shrugged, doubting that Nea was going to pass the exam having that attitude. He hurried afte her and caught up just when she was attacked by a Bite Bug. The image of an eagle that was carved on the blade shimmered when she pulled out her gunblade. It was rather different than Squall's and completely different than Seifer's. Its blade seemed to have been divided in two, but just on the edge. The sharp arc that was dividing it was found on the third quarter of the edge. It, actually looked more vicious than Seifer's, as Zell saw it.

"This is a Bite Bug. Don't use Fire on him cause it won't do much. Instead, get him with a direct physical attack." Zell explained and lifted his fists, which she knew were a lethal weapon. She glanced at him, angry with him for speaking during a time like this. She couldn't concentrate because of his blabbering. _"If you only knew that I've fought this fellow before…"_ She thought to herself. What the instructor, or anyone else, didn't know was that she was spending a lot of time at the training center and outside, fighting monsters. It would get her mind off things from the past that she hated remembering. Sometimes, the memories that made her the way she was would get to real inside her head and she had to get them out of her head somehow.

The Bite But prepared itself for an attack and headed toward Zell, but he blocked the hit and threw it onto the floor. Even though the strength of his hands was immense, the monster picked itself up again and started recovering for the next attack. In the point of its weakness, Nea headed toward it with her gunblade – just when Zell was trying to explain that she should attack when it's weak.

After the second hit, the beast was down. She took her prize and headed toward the Fire Cavern.

"Nea, have you been here before?" At last he asked her. He has been wanting to talk to her about that for a while, since every time he wanted to explain something, she all ready knew that.

"Yep." She replied shortly, while looking around for more monsters.

"And you fought these creatures?" Another question popped out.

"Yep." She said and spotted a Glacial Eye not too far from them. If they attacked now, it would be a back attack.

"But… You didn't know anything about them. How come you're still… alive?" He stops her and scans her from head to toe in confusion.

"I learn things the hard way." She said and started running toward the monster, which Zell didn't even notice. He grabbed himself by the head when he realized that she was attacking it, because in his eyes she was still a candidate with no theoretical knowledge about these creatures. He couldn't possibly perceive that she has actually taught herself these things.

The way she handled that weapon made him wonder if she were born with it. To him, it seemed as though the gunblade was just a part of her body because she knew exactly how much she was supposed to lift it and how hard she was supposed to strike. And even though it was a big weapon, her 5'4 tall body could still hold it as if it were as light as a feather.

She finished her strike with a thunder and the creature fell onto the ground and disappeared.

"Are you all right?" He asked her, while she was placing her weapon into its sheath on he waist. She just looked at him shortly, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know, "Then let's get Ifrit. Have you junct—"

"—Junctioned Shiva?" She finished and smiled vaguely, thus letting him know everything he needed to know. He shook his head again and headed toward the two of the faculty staff that were standing at the entrance and taking notes of all candidates that have been here.

Nea never stopped surprising him. Besides from her natural beauty, her brown-red eyes were beaming with intelligence that she had developed herself, without having someone teach her. He wondered why she was so familiar to him, though. This attitude of hers reminded him on something that he couldn't put a finger on. Ever since she showed up to sign up for a SeeD candidate, he knew there was something special about her.

She sliced every creature that passed her way without even making an expression on tension on her face. She had such energy and anger gathered within her that she wasn't letting anything slip her grip.

"Lead the way." She said to Zell, not knowing which way was Ifrit's lair.

"What? So, you haven't been here? But, you knew that the Bomb absorbs water and… Ah, never mind." He swung his hand across the air and headed forward, "I am not sure if I have to tell you that Ifrit is hard to beat if you don't act quickly. His jump-attacks are very powerful and they take a whole lot of your HP." He added, before they entered to fight Ifrit.

"I understand." She replied, even though she knew everything about Ifrit. She just wanted to make Zell feel like he actually taught her something she did not know. A bright smile on his face confirmed her successful "mission" of making him glad.

Making people happy was not her thing, actually. She just wanted to be left alone to deal with her own problems that she had more than enough. Starting from the heartbreaking memories of her childhood in the orphanage, where no child wanted to play with her. Loneliness does terrible things to people, sometimes. Perhaps, that was the reason why she was so distanced from everyone – because she has embraced her loneliness and made it her best friend.

Zell had no idea that beautiful Nea was, actually, one of the kids in the orphanage where he lived with the others. Nobody remembered her because she was always withdrawn, quiet and somewhat sad because she had seen her parents die in Dollet City in the middle of the war. And, even when she wanted to play with them, they would always play war and that just gave her terrible flashbacks.

"All right." Zell said, "Let's take him down."

They entered what seemed to be a pool of magma boiling in front of their eyes. Suddenly, Ifrit arose from it, scolding them for disturbing him.

First, she used protection on her and then she threw a blizzard on him, which didn't take much, obviously. While Zell was punching him with his metal gloves, she decided to summon Shiva:

"Diamond dust!" She shouted and crossed her arms, since that was her pose for summoning and casting spells. She felt coldness tickle her chest from the inside, while it was getting stronger with each moment. Suddenly, Ifrit headed toward her and smacked her, but she felt nothing because Shiva took the hit for her.

"Impudent humans!" Ifrit snarled and prepared himself for a jump-attack just when Nea disappeared. Shiva was just in time to show him how impudent humans were. She opened her eyes and broke the eyes with her strong, womanly arms.

"Ifrit, how much is five hundred HP minus five hundred HP?" Shiva asked him and gathered her bright ice ball in her hand.

"Erm… zero?" He replied confusedly. Shiva smiled and, just before she threw the ice ball at him, she said:

"Exactly!"

When he recovered from Shiva's strike, he started swinging a bit, hanging his head and trying to come to his senses again.

"You've got Shiva!" He shouted worriedly.

"I've got more. Come and get it!" Nea shouted to him and prepared a blizzard to cast.

"Nea, mocking him will just make it worse." Zell whispered to her.

Suddenly, Ifrit roared and jumped into the air, placing his elbow forth to use it as his primal weapon.

"Incoming!" Zell shouted and threw himself on the side, but Nea just made a somersault in the air and landed not too far from Ifrit. The elbow caught her shoulder and she felt the bones cracking, "Cast cure!" Zell shouted and jerked his hands forth to make her feel better. She jumped onto her feet and, still feeling her shoulder a bit sore, she lifted her gunblade and attacked.

"Diamond dust!" She howled and crossed her arms, as Zell cast a blizzard on him again. Shiva showed up and asked Ifrit another "fun" question, as she would usually do:

"Ifrit, how many ice attacks do you need to finish off a fire beast?" Then, without letting him answer on that one, she put in: "Just one."

After Shiva's final hit, he was down on his knees. Nea took the opportunity to use her one Limit Break and shouted, whilst she was running toward him:

"Brutal slash!" She shouted and jumped into the air, landing in front of the fallen beast and slashing him five times wherever she got a chance. The adrenaline that gathered within her during this enabled her to use a Special and she did not hesitate: "Eagleton!" She shouted and, turning in the air, she sliced Ifrit horizontally.

"Oh… Defeated…" Ifrit murmured, "No more. I will join you."

"Summoning spell?" Nea asked him before he disappeared.

"Hell fire. It's… hell fire." He replied and dissipated into the air.

Zell smiled and patted Nea on the shoulder, forgetting her fresh wound She jolted backwards and made a hissing sound, whilst grabbing her arm in pain.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot. Good job!" He threw in, "Let's get you to the infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki will fix you up. She's the best. You know, when Galbadia Garden attacked us —"

"Instructor!" Nea stopped him and shook his head as she was gazing into his blue eyes, "Not now." She added.


	2. Seifer?

Chapter 2 – Seifer?

The infirmary on the first floor was enhanced, equipped with Esthar's gear and expanded since the war. There were many injured during the Galbadian attack and therefore, dr. Kadowaki has gotten more help – a cute girl named Shay and Nigel, who was quite a serious fellow for his age. Shay reminded Nea on Selphie, who also worked as an instructor despite her childish behavior and her silliness. The girl with the shot black hair that was so straight one would wonder if that was real hear, always had a warm smile on her face which usually relaxed the patients. Nigel, on the other hand, was so scary that he made them nervous and dr. Kadowaki had troubles with taking care of them afterwards.

"Oh, hello!" Shay said with a smile. She was shorter than Nea and much more thinner. But, then again, she never held a gunblade in her hands, "Ifrit got you, didn't he?" She said with a smile and pointed her big green eyes at Nea. In them, Nea made out compassion and some kind of a strange fortitude that brought her strength back. Shay would always refresh her and drive the thoughts of invincibility into her mind.

"And then I got him." Nea replied dully. Shay giggled and called Nigel, which, of course, made Nea edgy.

"Our soldier has a dislocated shoulder. Help me out, please." She said to the blond fellow in a white robe, who appeared behind the curtain.

"If it hurts, you'll be the one on this bed with bandages all over you." Nea threatened him worriedly. She wasn't usually into threats. She would just use her skills and her fists when it came to the real deal. Talking leads nowhere, after all.

Nigel put his hands around her waist and Shay placed herself in front of her, taking the hold of her hurt arm.

"This is going to hurt just a little bit. Stand out, ok?" Shay said to her quietly and with a calming smile, "Three, two…" She started and, suddenly, pulled her arm before she reached "one".

She felt Ifrit's jump attack all over again. As if she fell asleep on the sharp edge of her gunblade.

"Madness!" Nea shouted and pushed Nigel roughly away from her. He almost stumbled onto the floor, but managed to gain the control of the gravity in the end.

The shoulder didn't hurt so much, now. It was swollen, but at least it was on its place again.

"There, all done." Shay said and cast Curaga on her. The swollen shoulder started healing quickly, till Nea's HP on the monitor arose, "He he." Shay added thereafter, "Nine hundred?" She read the monitor with confusion and then looked at Zell, who bounced with his shoulders and shook his head uncertainly.

"Whatever. Thank you, goodbye." Nea said and headed toward the door.

"Oh, Nea!" Zell stopped her, suddenly, "There will be an announcement for all those that took the final exam today so… hang around."

She said nothing to that, simply turned around and left the infirmary.

"Rather quiet girl, isn't she?" Dr. Kadowaki threw a comment to the crowd.

"Yeah, and angry." Zell added, scratching his head with a smile.

Nea went to the dormitory to rest shortly, but before she managed to enter her room, the announcement was heard:

"ALL STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE FINAL EXAM, REPORT TO YOUR INSTRUCTORS!"

_"But I just left him at the… Aargh…"_ Nea thought and headed back to the infirmary. Zell was waiting with Shay and another candidate, who looked more like a man than a boy. His blond hair was neatly combed backwards, while a couple of fringes hanged in front of his forehead. His thin, yet intelligent eyes met hers when she approached them. Her long, curly hair was falling across her right shoulder and her chest, whilst her long fringes were covering her right eye completely.

"Hi again, Nea!" Zell said with a smile and looked at Shay, "You all ready know Shay Flawn. This is Seifer Almasy. We go way back." He looked at the man in the long, gray coat. _"Seifer… Yeah, I remember him. He was the one who always used to pick on me back at the orphanage."_ She thought to herself. Neither Seifer, nor she reached their hands to shake. Seifer, simply put the tips of his fingers on the side of his forehead and gave her a short, what seemed to be something in-between a salute and a wave.

"Guys, this is Nea… erm... I never seem to remember your family name." Zell said and looked at her, wrinkling his forehead a bit.

"That's because I don't have one." She said and looked at him, crossing her arms and rising her eyebrow that was half covered with her fringes. She was too little to remember her surname. All she remembered was her father's name – Kail.

"Oh, right. You're an orphan, aren't you?" Zell put in, taking her back into the past that made her so angry.

"Good thinking, Einstein." She replied, on which Seifer chuckled with delight. His coat opened up a bit, revealing his masculine chest.

"Another nickname of yours, Dintch?" He asked him. His voice was rather deep and wild, associating him to Nea in a way.

"Knock it off, Seifer!" Zell shouted and crossed his arms, "Now are you going to listen to what I have to tell you or are we going to mess around?"

"We're listening." Shay said with a smile and put her hands together.

"I'm up for the second option." Seifer said and glanced at Nea, "How about you?"

"Second is fine with me." She replied, knowing it would irritate Zell. Zell made an angry twitch and squeezed his fists the way he usually did when he'd get angry. Seifer smiled again, but Nea tried to hide her hazy smile from everyone.

"These are my orders and I'm going to tell you. Don't care if you listen or not so here goes!" Zell interrupted them, trying to calm down and explain their first mission, "You're going to Timber to handle a group of rebels. From what we know, they're leftovers of the Galbadian army and are very dangerous. They've taken an important relic from the Witch Museum which might start another war. Your mission is to bring that relic to Balamb Garden, taking any means necessary to complete your mission. That includes the elimination of the rebels."

Shay made a sad and scared look on her face.

"We're supposed to… kill them?" She asked quietly.

"I don't think we'll do that cause you'll, probably, talk them to death." Nea mumbled sarcastically and made Seifer laugh again. Somehow he was amused by every word that came out of her mouth. That was encouraging, but then again…

"Sarcasm won't get you anywhere, Nea." Shay replied, to what Nea, simply replied with:

"Whatever." Seifer, suddenly made a serious face, as though he were punched by Nea. He glanced at her, remembering Squall and his former attitude and he suddenly became colder.

"You're leaving in an hour, which means that you still have time to rest a bit. How's the shoulder, Nea?" Zell looked at her. But, as always, she replied with a look, "Good. Then I'll see you beside the panel. Bye!" He added and turned around, heading to the cafeteria.

"That about wraps it!" Shay said with a smile and looked at Nea, "Hey, you want to grab a cup of coffee or something?" Nea lifted her brow again and shook her head.

"Don't have time for that." She said and headed toward the panel, where she thought she could be safe from people's questions.

"Don't have time… hmph…" Shay said and left Seifer alone, trying to reach the infirmary.

Seifer was rather intrigued by Nea and her personality. In fact, he found her so funny when it came to mocking other people. He crossed her arms and watched her leave, her tight red pants forming the perfect shape of her waist and her thing legs. He found her black boots, that were wrapped with a couple of belts rather cool.

"SEIFER!" Fujin's voice reached him. She and Raijin showed up from his behind, wondering about his first mission.

"We've been looking all over for you, ya' know." Raijin explained shortly, "Where are you going on your first mission?"

"Timber." Seifer replied, "Follow me." He said, distanced in a way, and started walking toward the panel, hoping to catch up with Nea.

Fujin and Raijin looked a themselves confusedly and lifted their shoulders, while they followed Seifer along the hallway.

"ASK!" Fujin punched Raijin, who dropped a question like a broken soda machine:

"Seifer, um… What are we looking for?"

"Not _what_. _Who_, Raijin. Who…" Seifer corrected him and scratched himself behind the head. There was no sign of Nea anywhere, as if she was swallowed by the ground, "Doesn't matter." He said after a short while of thinking about Nea's whereabouts. He turned around and looked at the ground, still having the image of that girl in front of his eyes. Her eyes reminded him so much on Rinoa, who he had lost to Squall. But, then again, she was happy with him and Squall was even a better leader with her by his side.

"Leave me alone for a while. I need to clear my head before the mission." He said to the two of them and proceeded toward the secret place in the Training Center. It was strange to be alone and go to that place, since one was surrounded by couples caressing each other and saying mild things to each other. But, at least they were quiet, which made it easier to think.

He didn't bump into any of the monsters, which was quite strange since usually he would fight two or three before reaching the Secret place. He crossed the wooden path that lead to the entrance and then noticed the night fall upon the two couples that were laying each on their own corner, unaware of the world around them. The moonlight was hiding them from the eyes of the shadows, as they kept whispering to each other something nobody else but them could hear.

In a way, Seifer yearned to have something like that. And then, just when he started thinking how, actually, miserable being single is, he made out a silhouette of a blond girl standing at the fence and gazing at the moon. Her curls were all around her back, driving him to take them into his hands and feel their leanness, but when she turned around with a sad look on her face, he couldn't turn around and leave.

Nea lifted her head and noticed the tall man approach her. He moved like a lion – proud, strong and stubborn, of course.

"One would think you're stalking me." Nea said and turned around again, placing her hands on the fence and feeling its coldness through her black gloves.

"One would be wrong." He replied and tilted his back against the fence, just beside her. He glanced at her shortly, trying to catch a glimpse of her uncovered eye, but failed since she kept lowering her head and hiding her face with her hair, "Have we met before?" He asked thereafter.

_"You've got no idea…"_ She thought, lifting her head again, the moon contouring her perfectly shaped nose and tiny chin that seemed so fragile to Seifer, _"You'll pay for what you once did."_ She kept thinking.

"I don't know… You just seem so familiar from somewhere." He added and turned to her, tilting his elbow against the edge of the fence.

_"You can't possibly remember me cause you left three months after I came to the orphanage."_ She said and looked at him, stabbing her red eyes into his and digging through his conscience. He felt as though she was digging through his personality, finding all the secrets and memories. He couldn't help to look away. _"Still, it was enough for you to make me feel like I was the most worthless creature in the world."_ She thought.

"How long have you been in the Balamb Garden?" He asked her. She leaned on one leg and crossed her arms, gazing at the moon.

"What do you care?" She replied, to what Seifer chuckled again.

"I see. You don't want to talk to me. See you in an hour." He threw to her and headed to the exit.

"Seifer!" Suddenly, she threw behind her shoulder, "What is Timber like?"

He smiled, carefully choosing the words.

"What do you care?" He said and walked out, leaving her worried and defeated.

_"I don't. But, you should."_ She said to herself.


End file.
